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PROLOGUE:
A slim gray tom trekked through the woods, hearing the birds sing graciously in the tree tops. Sunlight dappled the forest as his paws walked through morning dew on green grass tips.
He tasted the air, breathing in the green aroma of the forest.
𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤-𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑓, he thought, stretching with a purr. He heard scuttling in the undergrowth and pounced, licking his lips. He hoped a mouse would obviously reveal itself from the bushes. But nothing showed. The trees fell silent. Straightening his back, the warrior flicked his ears as he looked around.
A cry made him bristle as a kit’s wail echoed loudly. Wiggling his haunches, he raced through the trees, his amber eyes wild with fear. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢?
Then the sound stopped.
And he heard purring.
A flash of ginger and gold caught his attention as he looked down to see a She kit. She was curled up in a scattered moss nest under the privacy of a fern.
She smelled like ferns and the tom could tell she was a newborn. Her eyes were still shut tightly.
“Hello…” He mewed, padding up slowly.
The kit wriggled and squealed, her tail waving around.
Looking around, the warrior tasted the air. There was no scent. She was abandoned. Grabbing her scruff, the gray cat carefully lifted her up and padded towards camp. The woods became sunnier as he entered camp, looking around. The camp was empty.
Slipping into the nursery, he saw Rosewing curled up in her nest, fast asleep. Her creamy white fur glowed in the golden sunshine, her fluffy tail waving across the ground. The tom quietly turned to place the she kit at her paws, but the kit squeaked loudly.
Rosewing’s cream fur bristled and her blue eyes shot open. “Wha-“ The tom shushed her before she could talk. Her gaze flickered as she saw the she kit wriggle to her stomach. “A kit…” she breathed softly, her eyes meeting the warrior’s, “Where did you find her?”
“The woods.”
“Was she…abandoned?” Rosewing frowned grimly as she curled her tail around the kit.
The tom nodded slowly. “She wasn’t near any of the borders. It must have been a rogue.” He murmured, pacing in the empty den.
“Poor thing…” Rosewing licked her ears, “…Grayriver, What do you think Eaglestar will say…about her?” She paused, her voice shaking. Grayriver lowered his head, his fur ruffled with anxiety. Eaglestar hated Rogues…
“We’re just going to have to say she’s ours.” Grayriver fixed his gaze on the elegant queen.
“But we already have three kits.” She pointed her tail to the newborn kits squirming beside the rogue kit, “Eaglestar knows that. He’ll know we’re lying.” She shivered, her paws shaking like the air was crisp and cold.
“Not if we say she came in the middle of the night while you were resting. And that she was late,” Grayriver glanced at the nursery entrance, lowering his voice, “Irisstone is my sister. She’ll help us. She’ll say she came in the middle of the night and helped you. It was past moon-high!” He meowed.
“Are you sure?” Rosewing swallowed hard.
“I’m certain.” Grayriver nodded, licking her ear. The she kit squealed as he licked the rogue’s ears.
Her head fur bristled and a ginger tuft of fur shot up.
“Woah.” Rosewing purred, smiling.
“What about Sparkkit?” Grayriver mewed.
“Why?”
“Her fur is the color of fire. That tuft is like the spark…”
Rosewing rested her head on her paws. “I like that…Sparkkit.”

CHAPTER TWO:
𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 Sparkkit’s mind as she stared at her father speechless. “Let’s take her back to camp.” Flowerdew gently mewed, whisking her tail as she buried her mouse under the roots of a Rowan.
“Well?” Grayriver demanded, his fur puffed out angrily. “I-I must have wandered off. I’m sorry, Grayriver. I waited-“ Sparkkit’s tongue seemed to have a mind of its own, her heart pounding in her ear too loudly. “You waited? For who?” The gray warrior’s eyes became narrowed skits of curiosity.
“You. Or another warrior. I thought I heard you…did you pass by here earlier?” Sparkkit scuffled her paws thoughtfully.
“No, Sparkkit. We were patrolling the MoonClan border.” Grayriver’s eyes flashed with confusion as he sighed, closing his eyes, “Come on, let’s get you back to camp.”
Sparkkit nodded and followed the two warriors back towards camp.
The soft voice of the trees echoed in Sparkkit’s memory. The dark gray paws.
Her calm and reassured feeling…that she was home.
Who was it? As they entered camp, Sparkkit narrowed her eyes, looking around for Toms with dark gray paws.
“Why are you staring at my paws?” Rainkit’s Blue eyes twinkled as he halted. Sparkkit shook her head. “Oh, sorry. I was just in a trance.” She muttered. “You’ve been acting weird since you came back from the forest!” Cloudkit complained, her long white fur glowing in the sunlight, “Did you get hurt?”
“Hurt? No. I’m just sleepy. I should probably take a nap.” Sparkkit fake yawned, sulking away to the nursery.
She heard her littermates whisper about her as she padded off, “She hasn’t been acting competitive either.” Rainkit flicked his tail. “Whatever. That’s probably a good thing.” Cloudkit turned around and bounded away to the elders’ den.
Sparkkit took a deep breath as she felt the cool relaxing feeling of shadows and a small pool of water. The two other queens, Gorsebreeze and Poolflower were fast asleep in their nests.
It was past sunhigh, almost sunset. Sparkkit looked around for her mother’s nest, and caught the amber eye of the cream queen. Rosewing blinked softly. “What’s wrong, my dear?” She softly asked.
“I’m not sure…,” Sparkkit paused, “Can we talk?”
“About what?” Rosewing made room in her nest for the young kit to settle in. “The reason I went off into the forest was because…,” Sparkkit broke off. 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡? “Because?” Rosewing’s amber eyes sparkled in the shadows.
“…I just feel like- I heard a voice in the woods, and I felt reassured by the voice. I thought it was Father, cause I saw dark gray paws. But it wasn’t him…” Sparkkit murmured, her ginger fur bristling at the memory.
“Maybe it was a dream? You could have fallen asleep while under the bush.” Rosewing stroked her pelt with her tail. “No, I was awake. Fully awake.” Sparkkit objected, scowling, “But I can’t figure out who it was…”
“What was the voice saying?” Rosewing pressed.
“I can’t really remember. It just sounded like home.” Sparkkit dropped her head on her paws. She saw a flash of fear in her mother’s gaze and her stomach twisted with anxiety.
𝐹𝑒𝑎𝑟? 𝐹𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡? 𝑀𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑? Sparkkit thought, “Mother?”
“Yes, dear?” Rosewing shook her head with a ripple of her pelt.
Sparkkit paused. “Nevermind.”
“I’m glad you talked to me. It could have been your imagination. The forest is a very relaxing place, sometimes I imagine voices. It could have also been just the wind.” Rosewing went on, but Sparkkit thought she was talking half to herself.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠? Sparkkit thought, frowning. “Thanks Rosewing,” she forced a smile, rising to her paws, “I feel better now. I’m going to see where Cloudkit and Rainkit are.” She meowed.
“I’m glad. Tell them to come in after sunset.” Rosewing called as Sparkkit bounded out of the den. Clouds covered the sky and Sparkkit felt rain on her face. Her doubts felt like the drips of sky water washing all over her, and her helplessness that she couldn’t control the weather.
Or her fears.
Bounding away, She slithered into the elders’ den.
“Sparkkit! You made it!” Cloudkit loudly purred, her blue eyes glowing happily. 𝑌𝑒𝑎ℎ 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝐼 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒…𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟? She silently mewed, looking at Rainkit.
The two kits blinked at her silently. “Well? The story can’t be waiting that long! Come on!” Cloudkit beckoned her tail for the fire colored she kit to walk forward. Sparkkit didn’t really listen to the stories the elders told, cause nothing could stop the burden of her thoughts.
Sparkkit struggled to fall asleep, wriggling in her nest. She let out a groan of annoyance and rose to her paws, walking outside. She paused at the entrance, turning around. Rosewing’s nest was empty. 𝑊ℎ𝑦?
Racing out of the nursery, the she kit tasted the air for her mother’s scent and caught it entwined with Grayriver’s scent.
She followed it to behind the medicine den, sinking into a bush as she heard their voices. “She’s finding out! We can’t keep it a secret forever!” Rosewing whispered, her amber eyes gleaming desperately.
“It needs to stay this way.” growled Grayriver.
𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑦? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑦? 𝐼𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ? 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦?
𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑒.